Free Will
by DeepThoughtsX
Summary: Naruto leaves Konoha, wanting to live his life as he chooses. But will an eventual encounter with a certain kunoichi from the sand turn his plans upside down? You know it! NarutoXTemari more like DramaRomanceHumorHorror, but I couldn't fit that.
1. Setting Plans into motion

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Following chapters will not have serious disclaimers.

I now bring, in all my dramatic flair, a romance, drama, and comedy, all stuck into one. Oh, and the story will have some horror from time to time. I enjoy writing torture scenes.

A/N: Well, I've finally got some free time, and I felt like writing Naruto. For my fans out there (if I do have fans anymore), don't worry, I'm writing on my other fics, I've just been stuck on Naruto. This might have a slightly familiar ring, but I've noticed that the two longest NarutoXTemari stories are both involving Naruto leaving Konoha. I've always wanted to make a "Naruto leaves Konoha" type of story, and I recently fell in love with NaruTemari. So bear with me. I'll shut up now, and get on with the story.

By the way, in this fic, Naruto is sixteen, and a few things differ from Shipuuden's more recent story arcs. Flow with me, you'll catch the relevant parts as they are mentioned. Also, Temari's age has been changed to only one year older than Naruto and Gaara. So she's seventeen.

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Festivals are supposed to be nice. Everyone has fun at them, with all manner of games, music, food, and drink. Uzumaki Naruto is no exception, except he has a different kind of fun. No one notices a few drunks going missing in a village of several thousand.

He would be compared to a certain sannin, one who left the village long ago. No one knew his more devious side, the scrolls of kinjutsu he had stolen from the hokage's archives, while supposedly "researching the Uchiha Clan". He happened to find, among others, some of Orochimaru's old notes, ripe and ready to use.

"Mild taste, slightly bitter, but a good vintage. And I needed type AB. You'll do." Naruto looked upon the panicking victim. A Hyuuga branch member by the name of Temashi, he lay on a stone table, bound by chakra strings. The Hyuuga made countless threats and vows of vengeance, but it was all in vain.

He couldn't move, and Naruto had soundproofed the room. After a few minutes of general fun, such as removing the fingernails with splinters and severing nerve endings with well placed needles, Naruto decided it was time to finish his final project. Without anesthesia or anything to dull the pain, the blond ninja used chakra scalpels to cleanly cut out the Hyuuga's eyes. Since the now eyeless ninja was not dead yet, Naruto was able to keep the once drunken ninja's chakra flowing to the bloody orbs, keeping the caged bird seal from sealing off their doujutsu.

Taking a small amount of the optic nerves and tissue, he set them in an already prepared seal he had on the floor. The seal would keep the doujutsu preserved even after the death of the ninja, so Naruto turned to finish his fun.

Placing chakra-charged hands on the chest of the ninja, what looked to be glowing blood oozed into the Hyuuga's chest. A new level of pain gripped the Hyuuga, and screams echoed through the room. Suddenly, everything was quiet, as chakra lifted up out of the body. As Naruto watched, a grin came across the ninja's face. Was it a new one? Would it serve two purposes?

He was broken from his questioning reverie as the chakra formed itself into what looked like a river. Smirking, the boy sucked the chakra in with the same red-charged hand he had used to extract it. Laughing and flexing, the number one unpredictable ninja turned away as the body liquefied. Orochimaru was a fool, he had decided.

The snake sannin had originally started research on these jutsus, only to stop research when he became obsessed with the _Fushi Tensei_, wanting immortality. Dropping to his knees, he made a series of seals and slammed both hands into the floor, at the edge of the large purple seal containing the eyes.

As the seal began to glow, he triumphantly shouted "_Anigan no Jutsu_!". With what could only be described as a flash of black, of nothingness, the seal disappeared, along with the eye tissue in it. Looking into a nearby mirror, Naruto smiled upon seeing his eyes, no longer the innocent blue they used to be, but, again, a deep purple.

He now had a great part of what Konoha could offer him. It wouldn't be much longer before he could do what he'd always wanted. Well, one more of the things that he'd always wanted. Cleaning up the mess, Naruto walked out of the room, disguising his eyes as blue once more.

As he locked the door to one of Orochimaru's old research rooms, he took a breath, satisfied with his progress. He had now absorbed two sets of doujutsu and the chakra capabilities of a few dozen people, a good number of them ninja, which included elemental affinities.

With the chakra production of the absorbed ninja, Naruto had doubled his standard chakra supply, plus he now had affinity to all five of the common elements. Finally crawling out of the hidden tunnel he had discovered, a thoroughly normal looking Naruto walked to his favorite ramen stand.

Ordering several bowls, he gobbled down the cheap noodles, paid for them, and left with a quick thanks. The old man and his daughter were quite confused, but then guessed he was going to meet friends. That wasn't quite right. He dropped off some of his supplies, and then headed to the rookie 9 meeting, held at a bar on the back streets of Konoha, dressed in a pair of baggy black pants and a purple shirt with a black jacket. Entering the bar, he was instantly assailed by Kiba and Sakura.

"Finally, you're here! We can't drink until every member is seated." Kiba was quite obviously thinking of a bottle of sake with his name on it.

"Guess what, Naruto? Tsunade-sama managed to fix the part of Sasuke-kun's eye you injured bringing him back!" Sakura was obviously fretting over the teme, who was seated at the table.

Naruto had successfully brought back Sasuke, even without the help of the useless pinkette in front of him. Thinking of his other set of eye abilities, he smirked at the usefulness a small piece of eye could do.

"Are you sure we should be drinking?" An always nervous Hinata asked an eager Kiba. Naruto thought they made a cute couple.

"Hey, if we're old enough to kill, we're old enough to drink!" Kiba cried gleefully before gulping down his first bottle of sake. Coughing slightly, as he wasn't often able to drink the booze he loved so much.

This, of course, started the night off for the rookie nine. Eventually, Sakura and Ino had passed out during a drinking contest, Sasuke was being even more angsty than usual, and Hinata had dragged Kiba off to somewhere 'more private'.

Walking past a dancing Shikamaru and a singing Shino, Naruto headed back to his apartment. He was satisfied; none of the others would get in his way, now. After grabbing all of the supplies he had gathered, he set off for the main gate. Right in front of it, he encountered the usual issue he had with festivals. Drunks.

"Hey, Demon Brat, what are you doin', havin' yerself some fun? Don't you know, Demons don't deserve fun?" A group of about two dozen drunken civilians barred his way, red in the face from overindulging in sake. Most of them were armed with gardening tools or old swords.

"Oh, Demons love to have fun, and when we want something, we'll take it!" Naruto laughed in the faces of the angry drunks. He knew this unusual response would provoke them. It was just as he planned it.

"Is that right? Well, we want something. Your life! Die, you demon brat!" When the horde charged him, Naruto allowed them to score a few, non-lethal blows. Then he drew the black chakra blade he loved to use. It was a full katana, unlike Asuma's trench knives.

After killing every last one of them, he picked one body up, one with wounds that wouldn't bleed too much. He needed his own blood for this. Opening the gates and walking straight past the drunken, passed-out guards, he carried the body, leaving a trail of his own blood, to a lake a half a mile away.

The lake had been his pick because of the crocodiles in it. Dressing the body in his old clothes, he tossed it to the crocs, who were only to happy to tear it apart and devour it. Leaving a crumpled note, stained with drops of his blood, he finally let the kyuubi chakra heal his wounds and walked away.

The note contained a well-planned sob story, detailing how he had given up on life after all the attempts on to take it. They would take the now-unrecognizable body to be Naruto, leaving him to do as he wished. Laughing at his triumph, the boy disappeared into the deep forest.

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Jutsu List

_Anigan no Jutsu: _Darkness Eye Jutsu

_Fushi Tensei:_ Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu (Orochimaru's immortality jutsu)

A/N: I hope everyone liked chapter one. Please review; it helps me know if people like my story, and helps me to improve my writing style. Constructive criticism and flames are welcome, along with credit card numbers. Seriously though, I'm not going to whine and say I won't do another chapter until I get (insert number) reviews, but it does help inspire me to work harder on my fanfics. Also, could anyone suggest a good site to translate English to Japanese? I want my jutsu names to be in Japanese, but I don't know much.

Next Chapter: Naruto changes his look, Sasuke becomes angstier, and Kakashi buys the new Icha Icha Paradise movie.


	2. Reminiscing, Regrets, and Revulsion

Edit: Added a vote at the bottom

A/N: I received a question a pm from someone last chapter asking my WHY Naruto wants so much power. Thank you, dragoon-zerox, I forgot to include some of the reasons. Some can't be revealed yet, but he wants enough power to crush Konoha completely, by himself if need be. Of course, that's not the plan, so he wants to turn Konoha's only allied major village to his side. There are a few more reasons that'll be revealed along the way, but he wants to get revenge (and then some) for the many attempts to kill him the people have made. Well, that's currently the only question I've gotten, so I'll start the story. Oh, and this chapter will probably be more light-hearted than the first.

Special thanks to: dragoon-zerox, for asking me questions which are helping me to get my writing straight, and for the ideas on scrolls. The scrolls in question will probably appear in the third chapter, as this one ended up longer than I expected, and I need to sleep.

Note: As Naruto's mother, Uzumaki Kushina, is said to be from the land of whirlpool, and I can't find any sources on the land of whirlpool, but there are several lands based on water, I'm taking liberal usage of the ability to make it as I wish.

Disclaimer: Kisame does not eat children. Just like I don't own him, or any other Naruto character, except for my OCs, most of whom are unimportant. I also don't own South Park, from which I might have ripped off a scene.

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Tsunade wanted a drink. Even more than she usually wanted a drink. Jounin trackers had traced what was identified as Naruto's blood to a crocodile-filled lake. Finding only a few pieces of bone and scraps of Naruto's clothing, the answer was obvious.

Then she had been brought the note. All hopes that Naruto had somehow survived were crushed by reading it. She knew that she had responsibilities as the hokage, such as calling in Naruto's friends when they were conscious and telling them, but right now she just wanted some of that blissful oblivion herself. She was about to ask Shizune to not bother her about drinking for the night, when-

"I need a drink." The utterly Tsunade-ish words came out of Shizune's mouth instead. Hardly able to conceive this coming from Shizune, Tsunade's mouth hung open like that of a dead fish. Snapping out of her shocked state, the hokage pulled out not the usual sake, but a bottle of scotch, imported from the land of whirlpool.

Hours later, a jounin would walk in only to see the two kunoichi passed out on the floor. He would then back out, deciding he didn't want to know.

Miles away, one Uzumaki Naruto was in a bar. His hair was purple, his eyes were purple, and he was wearing a black robe. No one was going to recognize him in this form. Ordering a jug of sake, he sat down at a table and decided to enjoy himself.

Hours later, the biggest bar-fight in the history of that town ensued.

Many more miles away, six ninja in cloud covered black robes were drinking to celebrate their successful sealing of a tailed beast.

Hours later, "God" would have a hangover, resulting in the flooding of Amegakure. Three people and a monkey died.

**The Next Morning…**

Naruto woke up feeling something was wrong. This was confirmed when he saw a pile of unconscious bodies beside him. Thanks to a killer hangover, he just walked over to the bar, wondering if he could find any hangover medicine.

Walking out of the bar a half-hour later, the ninja decided to look through his scroll collection, now that he didn't have to worry about vomiting on them. A short run took him about two miles out of town. Deciding he was far away enough, the purple haired ninja sat down, opening his scroll bag.

The first thing he found was a box with the number four on it. Flipping the latch that held it closed, he picked out a number of scrolls, a few letters, and a series of pictures. Deciding to look at the pictures first, since he had done a lot of scroll-reading recently, he held up the first picture. In it was a young Yondaime hokage, who looked strangely like Naruto, and a pretty woman with red hair. They were walking up to a movie theater, with the title "Titanic" on the board showing what movie was playing. Flipping to the second picture, he saw the couple walking out of the theater, the Yondaime crying his eyes out, while the redheaded woman was just looking annoyed at her boyfriend. Flipping through more pictures, one of some strange metal contraption with spikes and chains on it, until he came to what looked like a baby shower.

In the next picture, Yondaime was rushing the girl to a hospital, with her gasping and panting. Next showed the Hokage pacing back and front in front of a door, looking nervous as hell and smoking a cigarette (I actually saw a picture of my own father doing just that. Fortunately, I didn't find any 'other' pictures.). Apparently, he eventually decided to stand by her, because the next picture was of a pissed off redhead in labor punching the famous Yondaime in the face.

Thereafter, he apparently left to fight the kyuubi, and in the next picture, a sad-looking jounin was walking up to a crying Yondaime, holding a baby. With shock, Naruto recognized the baby as a very young him. So the fourth was his father, and that redhead was his mother? He felt nauseous as he remembered some of the earlier, rather naughty pictures he had seen. Deciding to put that aside, he flipped to the last picture, trying to find out more, but all he found was a black and white picture of the two holding hands, with the words "Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina: The fiercest couple in all of Konoha".

So the Yondaime, his father, was called Namikaze, and his mother was the Uzumaki? 'Minato and Kushina… Dad… Mom…' with these thoughts, he turned to the letters, as scrolls usually contained jutsu, and he wanted to know more about his parents. Picking up the first letter, he saw it was addressed to him. Ripping it open, he read it out loud.

"Dear Son, I'm sorry I won't be around to raise you myself, but if he survives his battle with the kyuubi, your father will give you this letter when you're old enough. You see, there were some complications in childbirth, and it was either me or you. I picked you. I wanted you to know, all my possessions are to be passed on to you, and I love you. I've decided to name you Naruto, after my favorite food. Ramen!" Naruto had been crying up until this point, but now he twitched as he found he had been named after his mother's favorite food, ironically his favorite, too. It ruined the serious mood the letter had up until this point. "I expect you'll eventually follow your own path in life. I couldn't stand being cooped up in my village either, so don't worry; whatever you choose to do in life, I'll be proud of you. Just don't hook up with a fashion obsessed, boy-crazy girl, like this Haruno bitch I always used to fight with, or an angsty, selfish emo-nin like Uchiha Fugaku, this old fart who was always lusting after my man. One last thing before I go, give your old man a whack on the head for me. Your loving mom, Uzumaki Kushina. P.S. – The Uchiha clan sucks, don't get one drunk, they'll whine for hours."

Naruto laughed while tears slowly ran down his face. His mother really was like him. That letter just proved it. He really wished he could have known her. If only his dad hadn't been taken by the death god, they could have been together in the afterlife, or the next life, whichever it was. With a guess about what it said, he opened it and read.

"Dear Son, sorry, but I guess you won't get to know your mom or dad. I don't have much time right now, but I do want you to know a few things, as well. Your mother and I were forbidden to have our relationship by the council, as she was a missing-nin from Whirlpool. Ironic, isn't it, her, and your, last name being Uzumaki (can mean whirlpool or the thing in ramen)? I wish I didn't have to seal the kyuubi inside you, but just to let you know, if you need the power, the kyuubi's yin chakra was sealed in you. Only the yin, if you wish for the yang chakra, I left it in Jiraiya's hands. Jiraiya, one of the three sannin, trained me, and I trust him to train you as he did me. All of my belongings I give to you, and I wish you to be called a hero by those of Konoha, because that's what you are. I suspect, however, that that won't be the case. If it is not, I just want you to know, I'm proud of you, just like your mother, no matter what you do. And I also wish you would stay away from the Uchiha clan. In this case I have your mother's and my own scrolls, some of our favorites. If you want to find the rest, travel to the country of whirlpool, where I hid the rest of our possessions away. Find the old Uzumaki residence, the villagers should have left it as is. Before I go, I want you to know, son, I'm sorry, and I love you. Your father, Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure." Those last few sentences settled it. Naruto had a new destination.

"I'm heading to the country of whirlpool! Here I go!" Placing everything back in its spot so he could come back to it later, Naruto headed northwest, to the country of his mother's birth. He wanted to make it in two days, so he needed to make the most of the remaining daylight.

Back in Konoha, just about everyone close to Naruto was depressed. Sakura had begun to feel close to him, and just tried to do what he would. She just continued on working through her sorrow. Sasuke withdrew in upon himself even more, heading off for his manor to be by himself. Kakashi covered his eyes, and then jumped out the window to visit the memorial of his old friends.

Hinata had given up on Naruto, and gone out with Kiba, but she still cried on Kiba's shoulder. Kiba himself tried to cover up his grief by claiming they never had the rematch he had challenged Naruto to, but the tears gave it away. Shino tried to stay in character, but a single tear still trickled down his cheek. Kurenai simply held on to Asuma, who lit up a cigarette in honor of the wind-user he had become somewhat fond of.

Shikamaru took one of Asuma's cigarettes, using the smoke as an excuse to cry. Naruto had been one of his friends, though he wouldn't usually admit it beforehand. Ino tried to comfort Sakura, but ended up crying on her more than helping. Chouji dropped his bag of potato chips, closed his eyes, and refused to speak.

Lee had a waterfall of tears running down his face as he hugged Gai, which was creeping everyone out. Neji managed to hold himself together. Barely. Tenten was simply crying, as she and Naruto had become friends while she was teaching him to use his katana. It didn't help that she had secretly found herself attracted to Naruto.

A while after the group had departed, Kakashi decided he needed to cheer Sasuke up. Sasuke had been rescued by Naruto, and was probably affected greatly by the ninja's suicide. Dropping by the Konoha Movie Outlet, he bought the newly released Icha Icha Paradise: the Movie. Before going to the Uchiha mansion, he picked up a jug of sake. Depressed ninja don't always realize booze can be a bad thing.

"What are you doing, here, Kakashi?" The Uchiha was, to say the least, surprised at the copy ninja's visit. After quickly removing his sandals, explaining that he wanted to cheer Sasuke up, and pouring both of them liberal amounts of liquor, Kakashi popped the movie in Sasuke's DVD player. It was all going fine until the first sex scene.

"Sasuke, why are you crying?" After looking at the curse mark on Sasuke's neck, something popped into the tipsy ninja's mind. "Sasuke, I've heard that Orochimaru has problems with molesting young boys."

"No, Orochimaru would never do something like that!" Sasuke's denial held up for a second, but after his sensei pulled out a rucksack bag filled with cotton and sewn to look like a young boy, demonstrating things Orochimaru may have done, the Uchiha broke down in tears. Kakashi had guessed as such.

"I suspected as much. Don't worry, it's over now." Kakashi was shocked when the Uchiha hugged him tightly, sobbing "That's not just it." The copy-ninja was about to ask about Kabuto when Sasuke interrupted.

"I wanted Naruto! I loved him!" Surprised but not disturbed by this revelation, the silver-haired ninja stroked the boy's dark hair. Eventually, Sasuke's sobs stopped. Looking up, he asked the older man, "Would you hold me?"

The things that ensued were to be expected of drunken people, both of whom were emotionally devastated, at least one of which was sexually frustrated. With the porno music of Icha Icha Paradise in the background, screaming later echoed through the house.

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A/N: Yes, I went there. I wasn't expecting to finish chapter two so early, but it seemed like a good point to stop and post. I don't think I'll be able to post a new chapter so often, since I've got college tomorrow (Monday) and I'm going to visit my relatives right after break starts. If I don't finish the next chapter by then, Happy Mabon, everyone! Oh, and Thanksgiving, even though it's not a holiday of my religion, I still enjoy it.

Next Chapter: Sakura visits the Uchiha mansion too early, Naruto reads some scrolls and finds the rest of his inheritance, and Kakashi turns emo. Yes, I have been poking fun at soap operas along the way.

Vote: Should Naruto keep his hair purple or change it to red?


	3. Finding Home, or Insanity for Two

A/N: Okay, just because I had pointed out TenTen was attracted to Naruto doesn't mean there will be a harem, or a Narutoxtemarixtenten. TenTen will be paired with someone currently outside of Konoha, who will remind her of Naruto, but that pairing might just be revealed soon. I don't do harem pairings, since I think, personally, that there's no romance in a three-way relationship. Romance is about love and devotion, the latter of which is completely against the harem thing. Naruto's hair color will stay purple, since that's the wish of most reviewers, plus I realized that something coming up in this chapter would make the red hair a bad idea. Well, since I think that's all the questions I've gotten, I'll start the story. Oh, and someone requested Naruto drop the headband and start wearing a beret. While I like the sound of that, and I'll probably have him wear it occasionally, his main hat will be the rice-hat like akatsuki members wear, minus the bells and the curtain.

Purple hair: 2

Red hair: 1

Don't worry, the red hair fans should be pleased by the little event I decided to put in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I do own the computer I use to download scanalations of the manga, but that's all, so don't sue me. And by the power of Kakashi's hangover, I start this chapter!

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"Ohhh… where am I? Why does my head hurt so bad? Why do I feel breath against… my… chest…" Kakashi looked down to see a ninja that had never quite been in any of his wet dreams. One of the last ninja he wanted to wake up naked with. Even worse than Tsunade-sama.

"Ugh… Kakashi-sensei? What are you… doing… here…?" the youngest Uchiha stopped mid-yawn when he noticed where he and Kakashi were, and what state they were in. Clothing was thrown all over the blue carpeted room, with a pair of Kakashi's boxers sitting on the last Uchiha family picture, over the mantelpiece. The movie was looping over and over on the television, volume as high as ever.

And worst of all, Haruno Sakura just walked in. Kakashi knew this because of the "thud" followed by the sight of a pink-haired kunoichi passed out on the floor. This was not going to be a good day for the silver-haired ninja.

In a certain small town, near the country of whirlpool, the annual autumn festival was in full swing. The cheerfulness did not extend to the toad hermit sitting in a bar, drinking a grape wine imported from across the seas. Jiraiya the legendary sannin had just received a message, sent via ninja slug, telling him of the demise of his only pupil.

He was so drunk he barely noticed the purple-haired ninja's entrance. However, dressed in baggy black pants, an open black vest, and a black special ops beret, the ninja was certainly distinctive. A drunken man, even the legendary sannin, was unaware of the genjutsu cast upon him as the man sat down beside him.

"Don't you have a treasure you need to check on? Probably away from town?" With this simple suggestion, the extremely drunken hermit followed the man out to a forest clearing. Using a set of seals, the man pulled a scroll out of his mouth (yes, I know the scroll has a frog with it in the series, but in this story, it doesn't.). The man stuck the scroll in his pack and chopped the old man on the neck. Between the drunkenness and the genjutsu, Jiraiya wouldn't remember a thing in the morning. After bringing the older ninja to a hotel room, and paying for a night "so his friend could sleep off the booze", he returned to the forest clearing.

"Alright, then. My plans are nearing completion. _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" summoning a single shadow clone, Naruto pressed his hand to his eyes, where black swirls emanated from the purple. "_Shinigame Kuchiyose no Jutsu_!"

A translucent blue head appeared in the dark mist spraying from Naruto's eyes. Doing something it rarely did, the Death God spoke, instead of grabbing Naruto's soul. "_**What do you wish of me, boy?"**_

"I wish for two things, both of which I assume to be in your power! One, with a payment of two souls for the one you will release, I ask you relinquish my father, the one who summoned you to seal the kyuubi within me. Two, I ask you separate the kyuubi from me! The shadow clone, with kyuubi's chakra and your blessing, will turn to a body of its own! For this, I offer ten more souls!" To prove to the death god that he had a dozen souls ready, Naruto pulled out special jars, covered in fuujin seals, each containing several floating blue souls.

"_**Hmm… two services and one soul for twelve? Know that I would not do this for one who had not attained MY eye, but for the only one to discover and use the anigan, I believe your trade just! I will take these souls, the soul of your father may join his friends and family in the afterlife, and the kyuubi will have this body!**_" With a flare of black chakra, Naruto heard his father's cry of "Thank you, son!", while at the same time, feeling something ripped from his body. The shadow clone was filled with the red chakra flowing from the seal on Naruto's stomach. The death god disappeared into his realm, retreating into a gate of dark, multicolored light.

After a minute, the red chakra stopped flowing. Before the seal could vanish, Naruto transferred the scroll with kyuubi's yang chakra into it. Now he could access the same amount of chakra the kyuubi had while inside Naruto, without asking for permission. After noting all this, he turned to the shadow clone, which was slowly undergoing a transformation. The purple hair changed hue to a deep red, the fingernails grew into longer claws, and, as the body's eyes snapped open, they turned to the red, slitted eyes the kyuubi was famous for. Slowly his once-clone stood up, examining itself.

"A body… I have… a body. Yes! This is beyond what I'd ever hoped for, no longer sealed inside a mental cage, with no physical form. Even if it is a little too… human." Turning to Naruto, the Kyuubi chuckled and gave a feral grin. "Well, brat, I'd only started to acknowledge you, but it seems you're as deserving of respect as any human I've met. I've been planning on taking over your body for years, as you've well known, but this… but THIS! I don't quite know what to say."

"Maybe we aren't friends yet, but since you now have a body, thanks to me, you owe me one. You won't be going back to Konoha for revenge just yet, we'll do that together, but only once we're ready. For now, just travel with me, okay?" Since Naruto rarely showed kindness towards anyone, and even a trickster like the kitsune felt gratitude and honor, the Kyuubi, for the first time in his long, long life, feeling the human thing called emotion, merely responded with a shake of the hand, an unusually human gesture. Uzumaki Naruto now had his first follower.

Back in Konoha, the… incident, as it was now referred to as, had only reached the ears of one Yamanaka Ino and the Godaime Hokage. Ino was currently crying with Sakura, almost as traumatized. Sasuke was going through therapy with Shizune, and Kakashi was in prison. Sharing a cell with Yakushi Kabuto.

"Soooo… you're like Orochimaru-sama? I guess I'll have to worship you now, since Orochimaru-sama is back in Sound. Can I worship you, Kakashi-sama?" Needless to say, Kakashi wasn't doing overly well. He was tied to his bed, after exactly twenty-three suicide attempts and seven murder attempts.

"Why, gods, why?! Everyone who knows hates me now. Why can't I end it all?! The pain, it just won't go away!" Whether Kakashi referring to his emotions in general, or just Kabuto, was anyone's guess. Then again, no one really wanted to know. He didn't even notice until then that Iruka and Anko were arguing in the cell next to them.

"I told you that the rooftops weren't a private enough place to do it! Now we're stuck listening to the Uchiha clan reincarnated!" Iruka laid down on his bed, sighing.

"Hey, you were just as horny as I was, so don't go acting all innocent! Dammit, we didn't even finish… unless…" The sounds and sights of Iruka being jumped by a scantily clad ninja did nothing to help Kakashi's mental health. Why was it that most others could be happy about their sex life? Did someone out there think Iruka deserved it more than him? High in the sky, a man sitting at a computer was twiddling his thumbs.

Far off in Sunagakure, Kankurou was not having a good day. He had lost his copy of Icha Icha Tactics to Baki, who was currently nowhere to be found. Walking back into his home, he found the kazekage snoozing on the couch. Gaara, after being unable to sleep most of his life, was enjoying the new experience. However, he still hadn't gotten used to dreaming.

"Ah, Pandas! Oh god, where are they, they want to eat me!" Seeing there were no pandas around, Gaara glared at his brother. Even the kazekage, nicer than he used to be, was still allowed to beat up on his sibling. Kankurou's screams were the catalyst that woke up Temari. Well, that and the carrier pigeon pecking at the window. Opening up the letter, she dropped the hair ties she was about to put in her hair.

Gaara stopped giving Kankurou a sand noogie when he saw the horrified expression on his sister's face. Walking down the stairs like a zombie, she handed the letter to Gaara before snapping up a rather large bottle of sake and walking back to her room, refusing to cry in front of her brothers. The puppeteer was just getting up when he noticed Gaara hanging his head, looking very, very depressed. He could instantly tell something was wrong.

Reading the letter, Kankurou knew why Temari had hidden herself away, and why Gaara was poorly trying to hide his tears. He had rather respected the blonde ninja that saved his brother from a world of hatred and loneliness, and being her brother, knew of the picture Temari kept. It was taken right after Gaara had been resurrected, just team seven and Gaara, with his siblings, standing together, able to forget their troubles for just a few short hours, able to be just teenagers. She had kept that picture on her bedside table, with the spot where Naruto stood always having been positioned at the center of the frame. Even he wouldn't tease her about it, knowing what she felt for the boy.

Likewise, he knew Naruto had been Gaara's first friend. Pretending he couldn't see the tears, he patted Gaara on the shoulder, before entering his own room. Gaara knew what Kankurou was trying to say, and, for once, was truly thankful to the brother he used to hate.

Meanwhile, two ninja were actually having a good day. Well, one ninja and a demon in a human body. The two had enjoyed the remainder of their trip, Naruto because he finally had someone who understood him, and Kyuubi because he finally had legs again. The two commented on how free life had been recently, sharing a jug of sake in between them as friends traditionally do. Kyuubi had always wondered what everyone enjoyed so much about drinking, but, having had such a large body, then no body, his ability to enjoy the drink had been nonexistent. He kept pacing himself, taking Naruto's warning that too much would be very bad. Eventually, the two reached the village of whirlpool.

Whirlpool was a very appropriate name, as the city spread outward in a spiral fashion. This made it very hard to find which street something was on, but all of them met in the center of the city, where there was a lake with, appropriately, a whirlpool in the center. (I don't think a large whirlpool is possible in a fairly small lake, but oh well, things in Naruto often defy physics)

After admiring the deep blue, swirling waters of the lake, a search began for the Uzumaki house. Finally, after nearly five hours of searching, they found it. It wasn't so much a house as a full-blown mansion. Strangely, no one else seemed to be able to see it. After a bit of experimentation, by waving at random people, they found that, once on the grounds, no one else seemed to be able to see them either. Gesturing towards the gate, Kyuubi was suggesting they enter. However, only Naruto was able to pass the doorway into the house. For Kyuubi, it was like walking into a brick wall.

"What are you waiting for, come on in!" Kyuubi was about to retort, when he found himself able to enter abruptly. Apparently one had to be invited by an Uzumaki to enter. Naruto was beginning to like this place more and more. Kyuubi was beginning to get more and more pissed off.

After entering, the most either could manage was a "whoa". A lush red carpet, plush couches, ornate tables, everything looking as new as the day it was made. After exploring for quite some time, finding the kitchen (full of old instant ramen packets), the bedrooms (red four-poster beds), and an old study (full of scrolls and books), Naruto stumbled into what looked like a shrine. A statue of the first Uzumaki, an armor clad woman with a fierce look in her eyes, a bowl of ramen in one hand, and an ancient sword in the other.

Further inspection revealed the sword to be real. Looking at the blade, Naruto noticed it was black and unreflective, with runes running down each side that read "ada soku zan". Kill enemies swiftly. Taking the blade down, Naruto felt a warm feeling spread throughout his arms. The blade was perfectly balanced, and was longer than his old blade, most likely a tachi. He would use it, as the last Uzumaki, for now at least.

After all this, he went back to the study. Setting down his bag, he withdrew an old set of Uzumaki scrolls (thanks to dragoon-zerox for the idea), and an old blue scroll on the ice element (also thanks to dragoon-zerox). He rolled open the scrolls, knowing he was going to be up late that night.

Downstairs, Kyuubi was smacking himself over the head with a lamp. If what he had been trying not to think about got out, his reputation would be ruined! How could he be attracted to a human woman? Finally giving up, he whispered to himself, upset at his own finality in the thoughts,

"I'm in love with that weapon-girl?"

**XXXXXXX**

A/N: Uh-huh, Kyuubi's got his own body now, and better yet, I think everyone can guess now who TenTen's going to be paired with. I finished this quicker than I thought, maybe the ending's rushed, but Thanksgiving break's going to be hell, so I won't get to do much work then. I decided to get a little extra done as a Happy Thanksgiving gift to everyone.

Next Chapter: Kakashi gets out of Jail, Naruto hangs out at his new house, and Temari goes on a 'soul-searching' trip. Oh, and kyuubi accidentally lets slip his 'love problem' to Naruto.


	4. Revelations and Plotting

A/N: I have a lot of spare time right now, but as soon as I get my PS3, I'll probably update a bit less often. Don't fear, however, that's not until Christmas. And even then, the games that will consume all of my time until I beat them will not be out until next year. Not overly much to say this time, so on with the story! Oh and before I start, I made the final element Anima, since it means the soul, and can also signify everything or nothing, darkness. A philosophy that this story uses is that darkness is everything and nothing, the beginning of all. Because if you look at it, we enter the world from darkness, not light as some say, in my opinion, and we also leave in darkness. Not a pessimistic belief, as it sounds like, since darkness itself is not inherently evil, just people often associate the dark with evil. Also, think of this. Darkness is not created by light; it is more often the other way around. Look at a black hole. It absorbs everything, becoming the fate of that everything, creating a ray of light that travels, compressed, off into space, a beam of everything compressed into pure light by the gravitic darkness, with all the energy of what was absorbed. Okay, philosophy and space physics lesson over! On with the story!

Fun-fact: When the manga described Uzumaki Kushina as red-haired, with a fiery personality, it made me think of Alkaid, from the .Hack//GU game series, who is red-haired, with a fiery personality as well. I actually have a fanfiction with her as one of the main characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own me. I also own this nifty "I eat babies" shirt I bought on the internet.

**XXXXXXX**

"No, not here, what if someone's watching? It could be dangerous!" Kakashi was happily watching the new Icha Icha Tactics: The Movie. He had been released from jail only a short while ago, the only thing dampening his spirits being the fact that the edge of his mask had been ripped off. Even though it only showed a patch of skin under his ear, Kabuto had picked it up and begun to sniff it. When Kakashi left, he had been licking the strip of fabric, moaning "Kakashi-sama, why must you leave me?"

Kakashi thought that nothing else could dampen his day. He was, to say the least, wrong. Iruka and Anko ended up having sex right outside his window, and Sasuke wouldn't look at him. Gai, after challenging Kakashi, took his unfinished movie from him, and by the end of the day, he had been thrown (back) in jail after accidentally walking in on Sakura in the shower, it being labeled "Sexual Assault". He couldn't even sleep, because when he did, Kabuto always ended up forgetting the "Good touch, Bad touch" rules.

Meanwhile, in Whirlpool, Kyuubi had finally thought up an alias. He was now called "Uzumaki Hitobito", which amused Naruto (for now Kataki, to the public) to no end. Kyuubi had been pissed off, but he was slightly mollified when presented Naruto's old chakra blade, which he could channel red chakra through. Shaking off his amusement, Naruto told Kyuubi of the scrolls he had read.

Apparently, the blue ice-scroll had belonged to the Clan Haku came from, which wouldn't have been useful had Naruto not obtained his anigan, which, besides letting one talk to the kyuubi, allowed one to assimilate kekkai genkai. He now could use any of the jutsu Haku had displayed, along with a few other surprises. Thanks to the fact that they were kekkai genkai jutsu, they required little to no training, and those that did require training could simply be perfected in the training room that Naruto had found in the basement.

The scrolls that Naruto's mother had left him were full of water and mist jutsu. He had found himself, even before absorbing the other chakra affinities, that he was almost as good with water jutsu as he was with wind. Although he wouldn't reveal most of them, he could perform a kirigakure no jutsu with the same level of ease Zabuza had had. Plus, he now had control of the mizu hitoshirezu no jutsu, allowing him to call water up from underground.

"Oh, and my father left me this awesome jutsu that lets me read a person's most pressing thought. It only lets me read what the person considers most important, so it's not like full mind reading. So, I'm sure you won't mind that I'm testing it out right now." Kyuubi felt a twitching feeling in the back of his mind, panicking as Naruto touched a certain important, mushy feeling. Naruto's face turned to an expression that was shock, worry, and amusement all rolled into one. "Eh? EH?!"

"Shut up, brat! I have you to blame for causing me all these emotions I never wanted to have! Thanks to you, I found myself admiring this damn weapon-girl, so don't you start laughing at me! Stop that, or else!" At this reply, Naruto's smile turned to a grin.

"Or else what?" The sounds of a battle in the training room echoed throughout the house for about two hours. Since the neighbors didn't realize there was a house next to them, the sudden quake sent them into a slight panic, but no one really cared about them. Finally, without using his red chakra, Naruto batted Kyuubi's sword aside, grappling him to the floor.

After helping the Kyuubi up from the floor, Naruto offered to make some blackcurrant tea. (A/N: blackcurrant is a rather wonderful berry from England, which goes well in tea) After the prideful Kyuubi had calmed down enough to agree, they sat at the kitchen table, sipping the dark, sweet tea. Curiosity took the Kyuubi, and he inquired about Naruto's new sword.

"Well, I thought it was a simple sword at first, but it turns out there's a lot more to it. Look here, it has a name on the hilt. Sanjuu Saihatsu. That name made me curious, so I did some checking up. Apparently, the Uzumaki clan has a history of avenging their friends and family, and more have become missing-nin than just about any other clan. My own mother killed the head of a clan who was going to force her best friend to marry him. That's why she had to flee Mizugakure, where she had been taken to, being a gifted ninja who the small ninja academy here couldn't take care of. Anyway, this is the most unique chakra blade I've ever seen. Watch this." As Naruto channeled wind chakra into the blade, it transformed, and now looked like a single-bladed zanbato with no point, but many spikes sticking outward from the tip to form a fan. To demonstrate another transformation, he channeled water chakra into the blade and it changed into a long, broad blade with a large hole in the tip.

"So, wait? You didn't know it was special when you gave your other to me. Why then?"

"Simple. You deserved a good sword, and I decided to carry on the Uzumaki legacy. However, the fact that that sword was given to me by the same girl you have the hots for is a plus." Kyuubi, at that last remark, felt a strange sensation, one that he didn't have before Naruto's human emotions had rubbed off on him.

"Uh, Kyuubi? You're blushing… I didn't know demons got embarrassed so easily" Another battle erupted in the kitchen, but for the sake of not damaging anything, both combatants were sensible enough not to be serious about it. Although, the Uzumaki wondered if anyone felt that way about him. He mumbled this comment to himself.

In Sunagakure, a certain blond-haired kunoichi was leaving the Kazekage's office, when she sneezed. Was someone talking about her? Anyway, she thought, this had gone a lot smoother than planned. She had just told her brother that she was unable to control some of her emotions, which was unfitting of a shinobi. Asking for leave to travel and do some soul-searching, her brother simply replied that he understood, stamping the approval form without hesitation. Telling her to take care of herself, he dismissed her with the rare action of using his sand to hug her, which was, from Gaara, as meaningful as a real hug.

Picking up all her wanted belongings, she wandered off randomly, unknowingly on the route to Whirlpool. The picture of team seven and her family was in the top of her bag. Everyone in team seven had been cut out. Except for Naruto. She didn't know it, but in a week or two, she would be in the same town as that same Naruto.

Later that evening, two Uzumakis were sharing a jug of fine sake. Kyuubi asked for the reason Naruto had gotten such expensive fare, but Naruto took his sweet time, waiting until both had had a cup. Finally, he spoke up.

"Kyuubi, it's time to do a little work. If you will, We both need to be getting ready for something big."

"What are we going to be doing?"

"Sending a message to the leader of Akatsuki. We're both tricksters. Why don't we pull a trick that will make us more powerful and eliminate Akatsuki at the same time?"

Kyuubi didn't know why, but the notion of tricking and annihilating the most dangerous organization known to man didn't worry him in the least. The rest of the night was spent laying down some basic, flexible plans.

**XXXXXXX**

A/N: Don't worry; the story isn't even close to wrapping up yet. It might take Naruto a bit longer to get back to Konoha than you might think. I know, short chapter, but this seemed like the place to end it. Plus, after Thanksgiving, I'm tired. However, after I've slept off my tiredness, I'll start on the next chapter.

Next Chapter: Akatsuki is shaken to its core, Kyuubi goes to spy in Konoha, and Temari reaches Whirlpool.


	5. Deception and Espionage

A/N: It took longer than expected to get to work on this, Saturday was nothing short of hell for me… Anyway, I've got a list of the jutsu and name translations I forgot to include last chapter, I will include some of the new ones in this chapter during the chapter, and I'll list the rest at the end. Also, at this point in my story, Kyuubi is the only demon left unsealed, plus I'm ignoring the fact that Deidara is dead, as I rather liked him. Other than that and the disclaimer, on with the story.

Jutsu/Name translations:

Hitobito (Kyuubi's alias) – Human

Kataki (Naruto's alias) – Revenge

Anigan (just as a reminder) – Darkness eye

Mizu Hitoshirezu No Jutsu – Unseen/Hidden Water Jutsu

Sanjuu Saihatsu – Threefold Return (reference to the Threefold Law: What goes around comes around)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I do own this fanfic and the computer that I'm using to write this fic while listening to the bands Crush 40 and Nightwish.

XXXXX

Pein was feeling unusually satisfied with himself. Uzumaki Naruto, now a missing-nin, had come with a bound Kyuubi (strangely in human form), offering up the demon for an allegiance with the group of S-class criminals. Pein knew that made sense, sacrificing a power to give himself camaraderie with the most powerful group of nin in the ninja world. After a test of the boy's trustworthiness, he was satisfied, and called for all of the akatsuki to gather for the final sealing, as they would need to be there in person to seal the greatest of the greater demons.

That had been a few days ago. Now the ceremony was about to start. Naruto wanted to be there, to see the finishing of the pact. He stood there, looking as cool and calm as an Uchiha. Speaking of an Uchiha, Itachi was strangely not bothered when none of his doujutsu seemed to have an effect on the final Uzumaki. Naruto was just enjoying himself, looking around at the room, the powerful ninja, the statue that held the souls and chakra of the other eight tailed beasts. This dark chamber was in Amegakure, the village hidden in the rain. Outside, and above them, people wandered about on their daily business.

"All right, everyone! Assume positions." All of the Akatsuki took places on the fingers of the great sealing statue. Everyone began to take a meditative stance, ready to seal the final beast. Unfortunately, that was when all hell broke loose. Naruto had secretly had a discussion with three of the remaining members the day before. Deidara was only too happy to join in, as he hated being in Akatsuki. Itachi seemed interested by Naruto's planned attack on Konoha, and so agreed as well. Kisame, as always, followed Itachi.

When Naruto snapped his fingers, the three akatsuki attacked. Cutting Kyuubi free, Naruto rushed into the battle. As Naruto faced off with Pein, Kyuubi tackled Konan, while Deidara went toe-to-toe with Zetsu, and Itachi and Kisame double-teamed Tobi. As the battle ensued, an earthquake rushed through Amegakure, ripping buildings apart and causing towers to fall. The people forgot their duties, and ran in panic, many too incoherent to even choose a specific place to run to, causing a horde of people brawling in the streets, all trying to get to safety. Inside the chamber, jutsus exploded, blades clashed, and chakra was flowing in such abundance that a blue and red tower of light erupted through the ground, leveling all the buildings near it, wiping hundreds of people from the face of the earth without a trace.

Naruto was fighting Pein to a standoff. Other bodies had shown up, as Jiraiya had warned him about once. The fat one was fighting several Bunshins of Naruto, who were getting cut down, one by one. That situation was one he would have to see to soon. The one that was similar to Pein's first body was using summons, which a clone drawing on his red chakra to form tails and claws was holding against. The original Pein had revealed himself to be a swordsman, using a chakra blade. As water-charged Sanjuu Saihatsu clashed with Pein's own water-charged blade, Naruto focused wind-chakra into the water blade, firing ice needles out of the tip. Pein managed to barely block these needles, before going up close again.

Elsewhere, Kyuubi was fighting Konan, also at a standstill. The Battle had moved out onto the streets, for greater movement. Konan slashed out with a paper talon, missing the kyuubi, but cracking a building behind him, causing the wreckage to collapse into the already panic-filled streets. Kyuubi held his blade up, letting red chakra flow through it. Swinging it straight down, he impacted in into the ground, screaming "Ken Tsume Suraisu! (Sword-Claw Slice)". Three red slash marks shot through the ground, Konan jumping at the last second, leaving them to continue to a skyscraper behind her. The slashes traveled up the building, splitting it into quarters. All four pieces fell, crumbling, to the ground.

Deidara was having difficulty with Zetsu, but he was holding him. Neither had the advantage until Zetsu sunk into the ground, popping up under Deidara and swallowing him, clamping his flytrap-like over-mouth shut. He was confidant in his victory until Deidara blew up. Stunned, he barely managed to clear his vision in time to dodge an exploding spider. Using his merging technique, he once again seemingly teleported, this time behind the real Deidara. Punching the turning Deidara in the side, he formed a set of seals and slammed his hands down into the ground.

"Yo Seiiku Kyouran No Jutsu!" Dozens of grass blades grew, swinging whip-like towards Deidara. At the last minute, a small clay bird blew up right at the roots, severing the grass. Deidara picked himself up off the ground, before spitting out a small amount of blood.

"Let's finish this, yeah! Kibaku Nendo C3!" The echoes of explosions and plants whipping showed both fighters going all-out for a final blow. Suddenly, that portion of the cave collapsed, being simultaneously blasted and sliced. Both fighters were buried underneath the rubble. The blast from the C3, which would have leveled the village in other circumstances, had been concentrated into a smaller area.

Meanwhile, Itachi and Kisame were struggling against Tobi, who had revealed himself as Uchiha Madara, activating the Mangekyo Sharingan. Madara proved himself better with the Mangekyo than Itachi, but Kisame was helping to level the playing field. Amaterasu clashed with Amaterasu, while Samehada was trying to steal away the chakra from Madara, but failing, as a pair of kage bunshins was holding Kisame at bay. Itachi and Madara had rushed each other, and were trading blows, until a rib-cracking punch from Madara sent the younger Uchiha flying, coughing blood. At the final moment, where Madara was distracted, Samehada finally found its mark, slashing a few gouges into Madara's back. A quick counter-attack with a ninja-to had Kisame rolling backwards, a wound in his chest.

Kyuubi was finally gaining the upper hand. By using fire jutsu he had gained from Naruto, he had burned Konan's shoulder, causing her to stay in her human form, only turning a hand into a talon occasionally, when she had to attack. Kyuubi disappeared for a second, reappearing in front of her, swinging his blade, charged to the max with red chakra. Konan was too late to counter it, and jumped to the side, in order to take the minimum damage. Still, a deep trench had been cut in her side, and she had to flee or she would die. Knowing Pein would wish her to do the former, she threw a handful of exploding tags to blind Kyuubi before transforming and flying away.

The fat Pein was holding himself against the two remaining clones, when one of them suddenly stopped, before focusing itself. The ground around it was shoved away as the clone opened five of the eight gates. The clone wouldn't last long in this form, but it would be enough. Hitting the fat one from all directions, the Pein was too distracted to absorb the jutsu the other clone had prepared.

"Hitomane Zankuuha!" Pressing chakra into his palms to imitate the move used by the now-dead sound-nin Zaku, he pushed them into the stomach of his opponent. Fat Pein rippled as the sound waves ripped through his body, damaging most of his internal organs. The two clones exploded, one from the strain of the eight gates, which a normal person wasn't supposed to do, and the second from the chakra ripping from his hands. However, it had been enough. The Fat Pein collapsed to the floor.

"Raikou Taihou!" Naruto's sword was now lightning-charged, with two double-edged blades that had edges facing each other. Lightning was flowing from blade to blade, with a ball forming at the tip. Pein had only enough time to dodge as the ball erupted forward, sending a beam of electrical energy screaming by him, causing all his hairs to stand on end. He thought everything was fine, until the beam erupted into the sealing statue. Eyes widening, he watched as the statue crumbled, rainbow chakra pouring forth.

Naruto jumped into the chakra, beginning to absorb it. Pein, seeing this, did the same. If Naruto was going to attain that power, so was he. Both had just started to suck up the chakra, when two more ninja jumped in. Kyuubi thought it would be interesting to have some of the chakra of all the other tailed beasts, plus it would make him even stronger. Uchiha Madara was going to be damned if all his work just went into others, so he too jumped in, after blowing Itachi and Kisame away, temporarily putting them out of action. The chakra ended up being divided equally between the four, charging their chakra to levels unheard of in the human world. After it was all gone, Madara and Pein stood on one side of the wrecked statue, with Naruto and Kyuubi on the other side. Face quivering with anger, Pein spoke.

"You have ruined our ideal! We will let you go now, but we WILL be back one day! Until then, Uzumaki and Kyuubi. When we do come for you, your annihilation will be painful!" The other Pein had already taken the Fat Pein and left. Madara and Pein took off, regrouping with the others in Pein's tower. Naruto and Kyuubi walked over to Itachi and Kisame, healing their wounds and waking them. Kisame was the first to ask a question.

"So, we won?"

"Not quite, Pein, Madara, and Konan fled. I believe we got Zetsu, but Deidara went down with him." Just as Naruto said that, a muffled voice emitted from the cracked ground.

"Hey! Not quite dead down here, yeah. Could I have some help, yeah?" After digging up Deidara, while Kyuubi healed him, Naruto asked Deidara if Zetsu had been killed. Apparently Akatsuki hadn't lost any members in battle, as he had merged with the ground and fled at the last minute. Knowing their next confrontation with Akatsuki would be the final one, they had to regroup and prepare, making sure they were all stronger than they were now, as it was certain Akatsuki would be. But first, they would all need a little rest. Picking up anything they needed, they left the devastated cavern, noting the state the city was in as they left.

Total and utter destruction. Only a few buildings remained, and nearly a thousand people lay dead in the streets. If any of them were softer people, they might have cared. They were currently exhausted from battle, plus the strain absorbing the tailed chakra had put on Naruto and Kyuubi, both of whom were unused to tailed chakra that wasn't Kyuubi's.

Akatsuki was in a similar state, with Konan currently laying on her bed, resting after her wound was healed. Zetsu was undergoing burn treatment from all of the explosions, and Pein was laying on a couch, a hand over his left eye, with Madara snoozing on another couch. They were all bothered by their fights, but they needed rest right now.

**A week later…**

After crashing at Naruto's house, Kyuubi had gone off to spy on Konoha. Well, that was the official reason, but he mainly wanted to see TenTen, and find out how she was doing. The ex-Akatsuki trio was just hanging out in the Uzumaki manor, enjoying not being on a mission for the first time in years. Naruto was doing much like the trio, but he was also visiting the jutsu archives of the village's head Jounin, studying the useful scrolls. Of course, without the Jounin knowing.

Currently, Naruto was sitting in a bar, mulling over his early life. It always depressed him, and, as most ninja do, he drowned it all in booze. Why was he so reviled and vilified, even if he had held a tailed beast inside himself? Well, the villagers would pay. They would pay with their dignity and their lives! He was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice the familiar blond sand ninja who sat next to him. When he finally did, she was about to order a bottle of rotgut sake.

"A Suna-nin? Trust me, you don't want the cheap shit, here, get a good bottle on me. What're you doing here?" The tired Temari turned around, looking slightly peeved at having been recognized as a ninja immediately. However, she didn't really see the problem in telling a kind (and strangely familiar) fellow drinker her reason, as it wasn't like she was on a mission.

"Well, I needed a break from my work, and having friends in high places really helps your chance for a vacation. Well, stranger, what's your name?" She had just taken her first drink of sake, noting it WAS much better than what she had been going to get, and was about to take another sip when he replied.

"Uzumaki Kataki, I'm one of the last members of the clan. Although I'm not a ninja, many members of my clan have been, and I can spot a ninja by the way they move." Temari was shocked; she had gone on her soul-searching trip to get away from memories of her brother's savior, and secret crush. And here she was talking with someone from the same clan. None of this was going well at all. Well, one good thing was that it seemed that Uzumakis were nice people, in general. Sitting silently for a few minutes, she sipped at her sake pensively.

"Well, you know, I'm taking a break because a ninja I admired, an Uzumaki just like you, died. He was treated unfairly by the stupid village he was in, one that was proud of being fair to people." Naruto was slightly surprised that she had admired him. However, his speech shocked her, at least temporarily.

"Naruto… I know his name… well… I… visited him a couple of times. The damned Konoha villagers never left him alone. Always 'demon brat' this and 'you don't deserve to live' that. I swear, sometimes I just think Konoha should just be wiped off the map… I didn't know you admired him, though." Temari failed to catch the hinting that he knew her, but that was probably because she didn't fail to catch the killer intent rolling off of the boy. Who knew this much hate could come from one person? Well, actually, Gaara had been similar in amount, but his was a 'driven insane' kind of anger, and this guy just emitted pure 'I'm going get them back' revenge kind of anger.

"Hey, Naruto always tried to get the people to respect him! He never would have tried that!" Temari was starting to get angry now. She stood up, looking as if she was going to hit the guy she didn't know WAS Naruto. But he stood up and started to walk out.

"Sorry, I've… gone too far… haven't I?" Naruto was putting on an act, since HE was the only one who could decide what he would do. Temari found the sudden departure strange, plus she wanted to know more about this Uzumaki. It also seemed like he knew something she didn't. Silently, she followed him. He knew this, but he'd let her play her little act for a little longer. After leading her out of town, he turned.

"I know you're following me. Why?" He was answered with a kamaitachi, which he easily dodged. She ran out of the bush she had been hiding in, fan leveled for another kamaitachi.

"You know something about Uzumaki Naruto! Something about his death! And you're going to tell me, or I'm going to beat it out of you!" She fired off another kamaitachi, but this one was deflected by yet another kamaitachi. When the dust settled, she noticed that the Uzumaki had a fan-like sword in his hand. Lowering it, but still having it ready if she attacked again, he spoke.

"Perhaps there was more to the situation than you believe. However, you couldn't handle the truth, and I couldn't allow you to leave if you found out. It could jeopardize some important plans!" Temari's dealings with Shikamaru had caused her to think more about tactics, so she fired off a kamaitachi, the aim off just enough to miss Naruto. He noticed this, and did not move to dodge. However, this also meant he got hit by the chakra-leeching tag that Temari had thrown into the wind caused by her attack. The tag started to glow, and Naruto saw his blue chakra seeping into the sealed tag. This was bad. If his blue chakra was sucked out, then the chakra his body turned to would be…

Temari thought she had won when the tag hit Naruto. When it dropped off, however, she saw red chakra flowing out of the spot where it dropped, before receding into his body. Only one person had red chakra! Eyes widening in realization, she stepped towards the boy.

"You're… Naruto! You're alive! Why… Why did you betray everyone and leave?! What, did you fake your death to leave your village?" Temari was upset, to say the least. She had been hoping that it had been a lie, that Naruto was alive. But she never wanted it to be like this! A nagging feeling in the back of her head pointed out that Gaara had gone insane under the pressure, and that Naruto faking his death was not so extreme, but emotions pushed that bit of logic away. Dropping her fan, she walked towards the ninja. Finally, the alcohol and the mental stress, held back by adrenaline, took hold and she passed out. Naruto really didn't want to deal with this, but he couldn't just leave her there, and she seemed willing to make the sacrifices necessary to know. Besides, he was planning on letting Gaara know eventually, when it was safe. He picked her up and carried her back to his place.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Kyuubi was doing extremely well. The cleverness that had been built up from over a thousand years of living was easily able to secure hokage-level secrets, including gambling with a drunken Tsunade, pretending to want to know about Naruto. That in itself, with his craftiness, had won him three top-secret pieces of info, all of which Naruto would love to hear about. He was currently sitting in Ichiraku Ramen, as telling Teuchi and Ayame that he was related to Naruto (not a complete lie; he had lived in the boy for sixteen years) caused him to quickly become a favorite of theirs. Turns out, they had the same wishes for Konoha now as Naruto and Kyuubi did; Kyuubi would see that they were extracted pre-invasion, as he was quite fond of them as well. This was his fourth day in Konoha, and he had eaten nearly every meal there. He knew most of the regulars by then, but a certain kunoichi he had dearly wished to stay away from had been on a mission, and her first meal back was, surprise-surprise, Ichiraku. As she sat down next to him, Kyuubi choked on his ramen. Why the hell was SHE here?!

"Careful there! You really are like your cousin, aren't you? Naruto used to do that all the time!" Great, now Kyuubi was not only in the same booth as TenTen, she was staring at him, hearing that he was Naruto's cousin. After he stopped coughing, he stared away from TenTen, partly to avoid her stare, but mostly to hide his blushing. Finally, after he was able to compose himself and hide these damned things called emotions, he turned around to the still staring TenTen.

"Could you please stop gawking at me, I'm trying to eat here…" TenTen had the grace to blush and turn to her newly arrived ramen. Starting to eat it, she still occasionally glanced at him. Finally, she finished her ramen and paid for it. However, she delayed until he left, even buying a coffee, which she hadn't planned on doing. When he did leave, she silently got up and followed him. Teuchi and Ayame, slightly confused, stared after her for a minute, before going back to making ramen.

Kyuubi hadn't noticed his pursuer. He walked down the streets, until a crowd of drunks got in his way. Damn these villagers, couldn't they learn to leave things out of their league alone? His cover-story had gone through the mill, until everyone and their brother was talking about the relative of the kyuubi brat. Of course, since the drunks no longer had Naruto to take out their problems on, they were always looking for a scrap, and who better than the damned cousin of the demon brat? After a number of threats involving killing him for his 'cousin's evil', Kyuubi cut them off.

"When will you idiots give up? Oh, well… Naruto didn't forbid me to defend myself while I'm here, so I think I'll have a little fun! Oh, and before you die, I'm not the 'cousin of the demon brat', I'm simply the 'demon', and the 'brat' is alive and well in another country, planning on wiping out this entire village." The drunks began to panic at this statement, but the first two to run were also the last. Wiping their blood from his sword and kicking one of the severed heads into the crowd, he chastised them for 'not being very fun', and proceeded to have his 'fun'. By the time this all was over, the streets were spattered with blood, and a demon-turned-ninja began to clear it all up. Twenty drunks would be searched for, but no one would notice the ashes thrown into the Forest of Death.

Satisfied with his info, and ready to go home, the Kyuubi snuck out of the village, right past a snoozing guard. He still did not discover his pursuer. TenTen was saddened by the villagers' fate, and angry at what her quarry had done to them, but she was also curious about what he said, and scared that this may be the Kyuubi, and if what he said was right, Naruto planned to kill just about everyone in Konoha. Into the darkness the pair disappeared, one satisfied, the other afraid.

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A/N: Well, sorry for the late update, but this chapter was longer than the rest, and I got stuck on the Konoha part. I went through several ideas for TenTen following Kyuubi, and I think this one is the best, especially considering that the other main idea was for Kyuubi to spend way too long there, and actually start associating with TenTen, and then some parting that would be too Sasuke's betrayal-ish. Well, I'm tired and I have class in the morning, so I'm just going to end with a request for reviews, which seem to have dropped off, and a jutsu list.

Jutsus:

Kibaku Nendo- Exploding Clay

Yo Seiiku Kyouran- Overgrowth Frenzy

Hitomane Zankuuha- Imitation Decapitating Air Waves

Raikou Taihou- Lightning Cannon

Kamaitachi- Cutting Whirlwind

Next Chapter: Temari awakens and TenTen confronts Kyuubi


	6. Reasons for betrayal

A/N: About the asking for reviews in the last chapter, I like it when my story doesn't need reviewing, as I've been known to do that myself. I just have slight… issues with my writing, as I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I'm rarely satisfied with my work, so I occasionally check to make sure there are people still enjoying my story. Well, now that that's out of the way, I got a private message commenting that I "apparently did not like Kakashi". I'm not offended by that, as I can see that it might look that way, but my writing kind of takes a life of its own, and Kakashi ended up taking much, much more abuse than I meant for him to take. I personally like Kakashi, and Sakura when she's not being a bitch (rare until part 2 in the manga), and the few moments Sasuke wasn't emo, or just a jackass. I think a good number of people might have thought that, so I decided to include my answer in my notes, too. I'm sorry I haven't updated so well after the previous chapter, but I've been somewhat sick, and after that, I was (and still am) trying to help my girlfriend move. Just so happens I've got some free time (at about three AM), and I feel like writing.

A/N2: I'm putting these here, but I'm leaving the end of the chapter's author's notes short, if there, so don't complain. This may not be an issue right now, but I've, in the past, seen people arguing about shunshin no jutsu being a Yondaime exclusive technique. If I'm not mistaken, his is the "Flying Thunder God" technique, and I'm making shunshin the simple jutsu you see many ninja use. That's just the way it will be in this fic. Also, my take, which will NOT be repeated unless necessary, on the whole Chidori/Raikiri thing: They look slightly different in the manga and anime, and Kakashi's Chidori (from Kakashi Gaiden) looks more like Sasuke's Chidori than the Raikiri Kakashi uses against Zabuza or Kazuzu. Also, they make different sounds in the anime (I only watched up until the preliminaries in the anime, but Raikiri definitely made a crackle), with Raikiri making the crackling noise, and Chidori the chirping we're all so used to. So that's my take, and how it shall be in the story. Chidori: A-rank ninjutsu

Raikiri: S-rank ninjutsu

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, only a few volumes of the English manga, which frustrated me by raping the jutsu translations in the ass repeatedly, so I stopped them and went on ahead to exclusively using scanalations. If I did own it, trust me, Naruto would still be a leaf Nin, but he'd have a few changes, and it would be less child-friendly. Oh, and Kisame would get his own montage, which he would dance to, with scenes of him playing in the background.

Pre-release Edit: Sorry it was so late, I rewrote it several times, because I wasn't satisfied with it, and I'm still not, but I suppose I've got this chapter as good as I'm going to get it… Also, my computer's been really buggy, making both writing this and getting on the internet to post it difficult. AND I've been busy even by my standards.

Special thanks to Reed-sensei.

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When she first woke up, Temari noticed she didn't have a hangover, which was unusual, until she noticed the hangover medicine on the table next to her. The second thing she noticed was that she was in a soft bed. The second thing confused her more than the first, since she vaguely remembered the events of the day before, especially the revelation about Naruto.

Her thinking now a bit clearer, she somewhat understood his reasoning. Thanks to that, her ninja training managed to keep her mixed emotions in check. Barely.

Deciding that laying around in a strange bed would do her no good, no matter how comfortable she was, she got up and walked out of the rather simple bedroom. Noticing the hallway was empty, she walked over to the stairs at the far end, admiring the hall as she went.

It was obviously built by a family that didn't need to worry about money, but didn't go over the top with decorations. A few family photos, forest green walls, and a navy blue carpet all combined to make a beautiful, simple decoration. Walking down the navy-carpeted stairs, she saw a beautifully decorated living room.

The colors were similar, but there was an ornately carved table, antique lamps, two comfortable looking couches, and a rather large television. After admiring it for a minute, she walked out into the back yard, where a slightly frightening sight was taking place.

Naruto was sparring with two S-class criminals she definitely recognized as Akatsuki members. Itachi was firing off long-range fire jutsus, while Kisame was slashing at close range with the Samehada. Naruto dodged the fireballs aimed at him, all the while parrying the Samehada with what looked like an ancient, but exceedingly well-kept tachi.

"Katon: Rekka Nibyoushi!"

Twin tendrils of flame shot out diagonally, causing the air itself to shimmer with heat. Twisting and curving, each went for one of Naruto's sides. Naruto, devoid of concern, knocked Kisame out of his way with the hilt of the tachi, before using chakra to spin in the air, becoming a blur of black and purple in his speed. Temari bit her lip; how was spinning going to stop the flame?

"Hyouton: Hyouki Hiketsu!"

Water drew up from the ground, crystallizing around Naruto's spinning form. Soon, a jagged, spike-filled spire of ice surrounded him. The fire crashed into it, both extinguishing itself and melting the ice. Before the melted water could even fall, however, a voice shouted another jutsu.

"Suiton: Dai-Issui Kasui!"

Out of the falling cascade, a spike of water shot out towards Itachi, who leaped to the side. Just fast enough, as the attack slashed the side of his right arm. Rolling to a neutral position, he held his hand up.

"Match over, I think?"

The purple-haired ninja sat down, laughing.

"Alright! I think we had a spectator!"

Temari took a step back as all three ninja looked over at her. Whoever had taken her weapons had obviously forgotten to check for hidden weapons. She didn't know it, but Naruto, being the gentleman he tried to be, had purposely not checked the more… intimate places for weapons. Even so, she pulled a kunai out of her shirt, crouching into a battle stance. She saw a twitch of motion from the three, and jumped. Right into a net, that is.

"Bastards! Get me out of here right now!"

Naruto chuckled, walking slowly up to the house. A flick of his sword, and she was on the ground. Trying to be dignified whilst brushing the dirt off of herself, she turned her back on him.

"Naruto? I thought you were dead. Everyone thought you were dead. Why are you in the presence of these criminals?"

Naruto sighed. the tone of her voice said it all. She was angry, and that was never a good thing. It was, considering all this, a bad time for Deidara to walk in. The unsuspecting artist didn't stand a chance. Later, he would look back on it in shame.

After they laid the unconscious man on a couch, Naruto sat Temari down at a kitchen table. Itachi left the kitchen to do who knows what, and Kisame walked into the living room and turned on the television. Temari, knowing she couldn't fight all of them, probably not even Naruto, settled for a glare. She wouldn't let anyone know it, but her heart felt as if it was tearing like a sheet in a tornado. Naruto was a traitor, even worse than that Sasuke brat.

How surprised she was when Naruto's eyes glared right back, piercing her gaze, even her spirit. Her spirit, her will, shattered almost visibly under that terrible gaze, and she shivered until the teacup she held in one hand rattled on the table. Such hate, such loathing was in his eyes.

"You call me a traitor, say I'm hanging out with criminals. Well, you know what? I don't give a damn! As many times as the leaf has tried to kill me, as many times as they beat me, even when I saved them! Many of my friends have even tried to kill me at some point or the other. Sasuke, at the valley of the end, and again on the second retrieval mission, Neji, during the chuunin exams, Sakura, once when she thought I was asleep, you could hardly comprehend! Gaara may have been wrong in his reasoning, but I do know that most of my "friends" should die!"

Temari recoiled at this. Gaara had snapped before, but Naruto was the one who got him to wake up! How could the hero of Konoha and Suna do this? Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Naruto instantly answered her unspoken question.

"You're wondering how I could do this, how I could snap. Let me tell you something, lady, I haven't snapped. No one in Konoha began to respect me until they realized I was still me. Many are just hiding that they still hate me. The few that didn't want me dead have died already. I'm going to do what Orochimaru hasn't done yet, and will never succeed in doing. I'm going to annihilate the leaf! First, I'll sever all friendships they have, then I'm going to terrorize and play with them, like they did with me, then I'm going to kill every last one, even the children!"

Naruto stood up, turned around, and picked a leaf off of a potted plant. Turning around, he walked to the window and threw the leaf out. Waiting a moment, he held his hand out. Temari couldn't see what happened, but she felt the wave of cold hit her. Looking outside, she saw gray. The plants had turned gray, the grass had turned gray, all as if the very life had been sucked from it.

"But I couldn't be so cruel to those innocent plants outside, just killing them to demonstrate."

Waving his hand, green chakra burst out, flowing back outside, and the plants all turned back to their original color. He turned to leave the kitchen. Temari started to stand up, her mind beginning to clear.

"How could you just kill all those people?! People who you worked hard to gain the trust of. All those lives, you'd extinguish for revenge?"

Before she could see anything, a sword blade was pressed against her throat, resting so close to the skin that a millisecond was long enough to cut. Naruto turned and looked at her with purple eyes, very different from his usual purple. They weren't visibly different, but as soon as Temari looked into them, she saw the death of a thousand faceless people. Falling back, she hit the ground, shaking worse than before, the wetness on her slightly numb face telling her she was crying.

"Gaara, because of his sand, was always protected from things. That didn't change the emotional hurt, but it did protect him from the scarring of things so humiliating, you would kill yourself from experiencing half of them. You know what I was for a large number of drunken perverts? Do you know what I was?!"

At this point, a trickle of blood was elicited from her neck. Naruto kept his glare for a moment, and then moved as if to sheath his sword. As soon as the sword was in the sheath, he took a step to the side and swung it in a drawing slice. It only looked like once, but the table fell to the floor, in countless pieces. Walking out of the room, Naruto left the stunned kunoichi in the room, alone with her thoughts.

Maybe Naruto did have a right to hate the leaf that much… what he meant by those last words… Temari started to cry anew at the thought of it. Her brother would have been automatically protected from that, plus everyone was afraid of him. A young Naruto with only advanced healing would have never had that protection. She sat back down, covering her face, as she thought about the way she herself had once acted towards him.

The pain in her chest was like nothing she had ever felt before, except for that time she had seen the lifeless body of her brother Gaara. She gasped for breath, wondering what kind of hell Naruto had lived through in life. She felt herself starting to think about the people of Konoha. Never, even in the short Sound-Sand war, had she hated the people of Konoha.

Now she began to picture their corpses, with buildings broken all around them, and a purple haired ninja laughing and spitting on them. Her conscious thought was revulsion, but mostly at the fact that she was beginning to feel delight at that thought. Maybe the boy, no, the man he was now, was right about this… No, she couldn't let herself agree with that! Couldn't let herself let go of the illusion, and think that he was right.

She stumbled into the living room. Hesitantly, she looked up at the shark-like man sitting on one couch, laughing at some fat kid on a cartoon, talking about kicking some other kid in the nuts. She didn't want to talk to him, but it would seem she had to.

"Umm… Hoshigaki-san? Where's Naruto?"

Kisame took his sweet time, chugging a bottle of soda, belching, propping up his feet on the table, before sighing and pointing out the door. Temari started to walk outside, and a smell that reminded her slightly of Shikamaru hit her nose. What was this? At the sight, a bit of the old Temari came back.

"NARUTO! Haven't you ever heard that smoking is bad for you?!"

"You know what Temari? There are about a million things in life that are bad for you. Smoking is one of them. Yes it is stupid. Extremely stupid. But almost everyone does something that kills them, slowly or quickly. I don't intend on dying in a perfect body. You only live once, why live it like a saint? If you don't like it, then just stay away from it. Hell, factories and everything these days, it's not like the air's clean anyway."

She took a step back and thought of that. True that live can end in unexpected ways, and a boring life does suck. Still, there are healthier ways to have fun, and she wasn't going to let the matter go forever.

(A/N: Don't give me crap about smoking, I know its bad for you, but as I've said before, life's too short, with too many things that will kill you a hell of a lot sooner, to worry about that. I don't like country music, but anyone who's heard "concrete angel", that happened to my first childhood friend. It doesn't change me as a person, so don't suddenly dislike me or scorn me. On second thought, go ahead, I don't really care what anyone thinks of me, because I am who I am, what I choose to be, and no one will change that.)

Both stood there for a few hours, just watching the clouds, and, in Temari's case, Naruto. How he'd grown, how he'd changed. Now, no hate was visible on his face, only peace, and sadness so hidden, she barely noticed. Looking at his face, she felt a slight warm feeling inside, and a sudden desire to protect him.

"Naruto… I've been thinking. You might be right, but can I ask one thing? Could you avoid killing anyone who hasn't wronged you, and isn't apologetic for it? I mean, if they honestly repent, shouldn't you forgive them?"

He looked at her with hard eyes. His purple orbs stayed that way for a few seconds, then softened.

"Temari… Contrary to the stupid act I always put on, I never forget a face. Everyone there has, at some point, hit me, tried to kill me, or done something worse. I won't promise anything, but I'll save the young ones and the people who repent for the less serious things. And of course, the innocents like Tsunade if they stand down when I ask them to."

Temari nodded, before a thought hit her.

"Naruto? I'm guessing you're starting a group, with the people inside. Well, guess what? I think you have another comrade.

Right outside of the Fire Country border, a red haired demon was eating a bento box he'd picked up in the last town. He yawned, before standing up and tossing the finished dinner away. Perhaps he should deal with his pursuer now, whoever it was.

"Come out, already. I'm sick of someone trying to catch me unguarded. I really want to take a nap, already."

He was answered, most irritatingly, with a brace of kunai. Dodging, he cursed to himself. Dammit, why were they always difficult? He jumped up, swinging his sword once, using chakra to blast down any nearby trees. Then he saw TenTen jump out from behind what was once a tree.

Dammit all, why her? Why the hell did it have to be her? It could have been that Chouji brat, or that Neji bastard, but no. Fates had to be conspired against him… He really didn't want to hurt her, so he settled on the idea of knocking her out. That, he thought, as he jumped at her, might be a problem.

Back in Konoha, Sasuke was asleep. He squirmed back and forth, the images in his head seeming strangely real. Finally with a jolt, and a burst of hope that brightened up his face and heart for the first time in a long time, he shot up in bed.

"Naruto? Could he really be alive?"

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A/N: Sorry for the tremendous delay and sorry it's a bit short. I promise the next chapter will be out sooner. But first, a vote. Will Sasuke join Naruto, or will he stay in Konoha and die? I promise he won't be emo if he comes, and I'd prefer it that way, since I like the non-emo Sasuke, but I'll leave it up to everyone. Rude people, since I know how some people will get in a request situation, will be discounted. And now for a special (though definitely not original) holiday greeting and next chapter preview thing.

Kisame: Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah, even if it is a little late. Merry Yuletide. And happy any other holiday you have currently! Be merry, or I will make your babies into my holiday ham.

Okay, Kisame… little overboard there, but okay. Now take your "Jaws: Special Edition" movie and let me give the preview.

Next Chapter: Kyuubi deals with TenTen, Kabuto escapes from jail, and Kakashi has the first serious scene he's had since this story started.

By the way, thanks for the reviews, everyone, they really make me feel loved. And I might make a little Naruto one-shot on the side, different pairing, but I don't know whether it'll be drama or comedy. So look out for it. Might even be Christmas-themed.


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